SAO: Silver Moon
by Mr. Kronos
Summary: When their two friends get trapped in the world of Sword Art Online, Ren and arisu jump right in without hesitation. There, they will form the guild silver moon, as they try to complete the game while fighting against the red guilds.
1. The ones who came in late

Chapter 1: The ones who came in late

"Could you get any sleep?"

The person who asked me that was Aonuma Katsuo. Twenty three. Tall and muscular. Short black hair. And self-proclaimed "genius Gamer".I yawned . "Nope, not at all. I was too nervous. What time is it?"

"Seven thirty, they should open soon." Katsuo crossed his arms. He was wielding one of his half smiles. I sighed. Was it really necessary to go through all this?

We had been waiting in line for almost half a day now. Why? Well, because today was the launching date of Sword Art Online. The most expected game since god knows when. And of course everyone was willing to get it. "Why do we have to get it in launching date anyways? Can't we wait for a week until everything cools down."

"You are fool, Ren-kun!" Katsuo looked at me with a serious look. "We were beta testers, we need to get the game in launching date, or we will be the laughing stock of the rest of the betas!"

I yawned, again. Sure, Katsuo, sure. The guy was so much like his sister it was scary. She was also incredibly headstrong. And severe. And did crazy things. Why did I have to put up with such people anyways?

The people on the line had started talking to Katsuo. They were listening to our conversation, and upon learning that we were beta testers, they had started asking questions to Katsuo. And he seemed completely happy to answer them. I smiled. 'So these are the people we are going to play with, huh?' They seemed like a nice bunch. There were also many older people. A man with thin a thin face and long eyebrows. A short woman with straight black hair. A young boy who seemed to have escaped from his home.

"So you guys were beta testers ,huh?" Asked me a tall dark skinned man who was standing behind me.

I smiled and assented, "yep, we were quite lucky. One of our teachers at our university had taught one of the main developers of the game."

"So if you were beta testers why are you waiting in line?"

"Huh, what do you mean?" I was hoping that beta testers would get priority. Even if that meant that we had wasted a night of sleep.

"I've read that they send you the game directly if you were in the beta test."

Oh, really?

I was going to kill Katsuo.

"Of course I knew that." Katsuo raised an eyebrow.

"Then why are we waiting in line?"

Katsuo smiled. "You don't understand Ren-kun. We were able to get into the game thanks to the developers, right? Least we could do is to return them the favor."

I bit my lip. Fair enough. "Still, why did we have to buy it in launching day?"

"Well, we aren't really returning the favor if we play the game before buying it."There was no point in arguing with an Aonuma. And he was right. That is how we ended up buying two extra copies of the game.

It was our first mistake.

Our second mistake, or rather my second mistake occurred soon after ,when I came back to my apartment. I was living there with an old friend from school, Fujita Minori. Nineteen. Short with long black hair. When I entered she told me "Hi Ren! You've got mail." On the table was laying a small package, probably containing a copy of Sword Art Online. In my hand I had the other copy. I sighed.

When I told Minori what had happened she brust in laughter. And then she said "Well, that way I can play with you too!"

I was surprised "Minori? I didn't know you were interested in this game."

"Well, it's a fun game right? I really have fun when we play together, so if you and Katsuo-san are going to be playing together, I might as well join too!" she looked really interested

A fun game... I laughed"That's great! Well, then you can go in first, I'll go buy some food meanwhile!"

"Eh? Don't you want to go in first Ren? You went to get the game after all."

"No. It's your first Virtual Reality Game. I want you to experience it fully first. Afterwards we can meet up." I was sure she was going to be all right. After all she was very charismatic. So I left with a smile as Minori put on the NerveGear.

I came back to our apartment around 5:00. I had been stuck some hours on the road. When I was entering I received a call. It was Aomuna Arisu. Eighteen. Quite tall.

"yes?"

"Ren-kun, is that you? I'm so happy to hear you are good!"  
Her voice on the other side of the receptor sounded odd, as if she had cried. I asked her what was wrong.

"-My brother, Katsuo-san, he doesn't answer his phone, is he with you?"

"No, but don't worry, he should be playing now."

"What?"She suddenly broke in tears.

"Oi, whats wrong Arisu-san, tell me!"

"Ren-kun, please, don't put on that thing."

"What thing? The NerveGear? What happened?"

"Didnt you hear the news? They're all trapped! All trapped in that game! They can't get out!"

"What?", my mind felt numb for a minute,but Minori... "Minori is still inside!"

"Minori-chan is?" Arisu knew Minori form high school. They were good friends. Very good friends. On the other side of the line I heard how she grasped for more air.

"I will just pull off her NerverGear and she should be good", I said, thinking out loud while moving to her room.

"NO!" Cried Arisu, on the other side. I stopped on my way "no" she repeated "If you do that her brain... her brain..." She broke in more tears.

"Very well, I wont do anything of the sort, just try to calm down and tell me what happened."

Arisu sobbed for a bit and then he began explaining about the death game, about Kayaba Akihiko's trap, and about the almost 10,000 people who had fallen in it. By the time she finished I had made up my mind. I was going to that world and make sure that Katsuo, Minori and as many of the 10,000 as possible could make it out alive.

I worded my answer and Arisu remained silent for a moment. A few seconds later she answered.

"Then I'm going too."

"No you're not, you have no reason to throw your dreams away and to risk your life"

"I do, my brother is trapped in there, and so is my best friend. My reason is as good as yours"

I sighed "Here, you are not a gamer, I am. You could even say that it is the only thing I'm good at: playing games. But you barely do. Aincrad is not a world you are ready for."

"But I will not stay here and do nothing!" she snapped "Ren-kun, you understand me, you want to save them as much as I do. And nothing will stop you, and nothing will stop even you, not even my brother."

"Your brother will kill me if he knew that I let you in the game."

"It would be my fault, you can tell him that."

"He is not the kind of person that would understand so easily."

Why was she being so headstrong? Why couldn't she understand that if she came, I would have to take care of her too. 'There is no point in arguing with an Aomuna', my brain conveniently reminded me. I gritted my teeth "Very well Arisu, I know you have a NerveGear, right? Got to your brothers apartment, there you would find an extra copy of Sword Art Online. If it's not in his room, look in his mail. Send me a text when you find it, and we'll enter together, okay?"

She answered with a small voice "Yes, okay" And she ended the call.

I sat on the sofa, opened a small packet of chips and started biting on them. I was not hungry, but I was impatient, I needed something to do. I opened the bag and looked for a bottle of soda. It was next to the rose tea that Minori loved so much. A single tear ran through my cheek. I hated Kayaba Akihiko. He was a genius, and he could have used that genius to create a world of fun, a world were people can live adventures together. Instead he created a world that only brought pain and sadness.

The text finally came in "everything's ready" I texted back two letters "OK". Then I lied down on the sofa and put my NerveGear on. And with a decisive voice I shouted, like I had so may times before, the two words "Link Start!".


	2. The Courageous and the folly

**Chapter 2: The courageous and the folly**

When I finally ended my registration procedure and stepped on the enormous plaza of the city of beginnings, a certain nostalgia got hold of me. The area was splendid, and breath-taking with lights illuminating the place, and streets carved in with brown stones. It had the perfect atmosphere of a medieval town. I turned my head. Next to me had appeared a tall woman with long brown hair, pale skin, and worried face. I had to contain my laugh as she looked around searching for someone.

"Arisu-chan! I'm right here! I'm Ren ! You know, we are supposed to create an avatar, not an exact copy of ourselves."

"Well, how do you want anyone to recognize you with that looks?"she replied.

I smiled, it is true that my avatar was very different from my normal person. I had given up my short brown hair for a longer one, blond, that fell through my back. My eyes were blue instead of the normal gray tone, and you could say that I had grown some centimeters, even though I was still shorter than her.

"This is a game right? Well, I'm a knight. So you can call me 'The Great and All-Mighty Sir Leon'. Or just Leon."

"I'm...," Arisu hesitated for a moment. She looked somewhat confused " I'm Alice. I thought it would be more recognizable."

This time I couldn't contain my laughter any longer. For the serious Arisu, the girl that I had known for so many years, this was just so typical that I was hardly surprised. But suddenly I stopped laughing, as I started noticing the glares of the people to me. At first I hadn't seen anyone, or even heard anyone. It had all been completely silent. But there were people around us, in corners, seated on the ground. There were even some that were crying. It was easy to understand why. They had not been mentally prepared to face a death game. Unlike Arisu and me, they had not been able to choose. These werethe people who I had promised to protect. But first...

"We have to find Minori."

Alice assented. The truth is, I was also worried about Katsuo, but here in this world he was Axel, the courageous swordsman, the blue knight, and I knew that for him this was just another game. Minori, however, was a stranger in Aincrad. I felt horribly guilty for what had happened, for having left her in this world alone. But how would we be able to find her? We didn't know her in-game name, nor her avatar. I voiced my thoughts, and Alice answered:

"We could shout her name around, to see if she's here."

"True, but it is almost night now, so it is probable that she has gone to look for a place to sleep."

"Should we find somewhere too, or are we going to sleep in the streets?" She said while looking around. It is true that there were some people laying on the plaza.

"We could make some money before, killing monsters and doing quests but we'd have to buy equipment. And be very careful. Especially you ,Arisu . You have to promise me that if you feel tired just retreat and ,above anything else try to survive."

My words had come out quicker and quicker, and louder and louder. Normally she would just snap at me and say "I know!", but she knew I was worried about her, just as she was worried about me. I then started to think. We had enough money to get a one night stay at a hotel, or we could just sleep on the ground, but I just wanted to get out and do something. I could not just stay in one place for the first day, so I conducted Alice to a shop to buy weapons and equipment.

Normally I would have bought the best sword and used whatever money I had left to buy my armor, but this was a death game, and defense had become the most important thing. So I bought a shield, a small one but it still allowed me to parry the monsters' attacks. And with what was left I bought a long sword and an armor. Alice followed my example, buying a medium sword shaped like a saber but did not buy a shield, maybe thinking it was too heavy for her.

While in the shop I kept muttering tips to her on how buying the best amour, how to balance the weight of the body, and how to use best her swords skills, using the system-assist. But my mind wouldn't leave me alone, as it kept repeating the same words to me : "You should not be here, what about her parents? What about your parents?What about your sister? Maybe they are all crying now. Maybe she will enter the game just like Arisu did to save her brother, and then it would have been your fault, just like it is your fault that Minori is here somewhere. And what if she died already? Do you think she would be happy with you for that?"

No, she was not dead , she could not be dead. Suddenly, I heard a commotion in the streets. I looked at Arisu, and we both dashed to the plaza.

In the central plaza, a large group of people had gathered . In the middle of the crowd, tree persons were standing. One of the men was shouting, but was barely audible, with the sound of the players talking around him. I looked at Alice and she seemed to be thinking the same. Was this the same eerly silent place that we had appeared in just a few hours before?

We tried to get in the crowd, to to hear what the man was saying After some pushing and apologies, we got to the front, and I was able to see the three players clearly. They were two men and a woman.

The man on the left was a tall and thin man who was wearing full armor. His intelligent eyes were focused on me. I turned to look at the rest. The woman, on the right, had long black hair, blue eyes and a benevolent look on her face. Finally, the man in the middle had a thin face, and black hair. He looked somewhat weak, and yet his look was serious. He was still speaking, and I was able to catch some of the words:

"The Aincrad Liberation Front will be a guild for the players and to the players. We will protect those who don't wish to participate in the death game, as well as provide them with anything they need. At the same time, we will unify the strongest players in Aincrad and direct them as one. That is our goal and our end. If you are courageous enough to be willing to put your life in the line, please join us..."

Oh I see. That is a good idea, I thought. I made Alic a sign, and we both left the crowd. We stopped, and Alice asked me "Are you thinking we should join, Leon?"

"I don't know... It would be a good idea, especially in a death game, but we still have to find Minori and Katsuo." Alice assented

"So you know this is a death game?"

The voice was coming out from one of the streets. We both turned around, surprised. Laying on one of

the walls was a tall man with short black hair and blackened eyes. The look on his face was sarcastic, as if he was making fun of us.

"Who are you?"

The man ignored Alice's question, and centered his eyes on me "I've been spying you since you entered SAO. Just to make sure you didn't kill yourselves in your first day. After all, that is what we would expected from a pair of idiots who don't even realize they've just entered a death game. But apparently you two knew. I guess that makes you even more idiots.

"Oh really?" Alice was angry "who the hell do you..." I stopped her with a sign from my hand. Without averting my eyes from his, I asked:

"What do you want?"

"Just the answer to one question: why did you two enter?"

"To right my wrongs." I turned around and tried to leave, but the man grabbed me by the neck and smashed me against a wall.

The pain system in SAO was confusing. The players technically should't feel any pain, but the brain would still generate the sensation. It could be shut off, but it required practice. And I didn't have it. The blow against the rocky wall was hard, and I could feel as if my back broke. I chocked.

The man was looking at me with a severe look. "'To right my wrongs' do you think you are a hero, huh?You imbecile. You probably told yourself that it was OK to enter, because you were a gamer. That it was the only thing you could do. But in reality, you just wanted to flee from your world. And this seemed like a quick escape"

I was angry. Who did he think he was? So I exclaimed "so what if I want to be a hero? What should I have done? Thrown my game away? Forget about it?" the man opened his mouth but I continued "Would you rather have an empty character slot than a person who is ready to put his all into conquering the game?"

The man closed his eyes and smiled. "You've got guts, boy. Very well. I still think that you're a fool, but maybe I could change my opinion the next time we meet. That is, if you survive that long." He retired his grip. I feel to the floor and Alice picked me up. The man looked at her and said "don't worry, finding your friends will be easier than you think."

"What do you mean?"

"Look in your inventory."And with that, he left. Alice and I did exactly that. In my inventory was the armor and weapons I had bought, a starter package of some potions, and another object which I didn't recognize from the beta test.

I took it out and Alice looked at it confused "What's that Ren?" I showed it to her. And then a strange thing happened. The hand mirror broke while still in my hand and Alice moved backwards, while holding her hands in front of her. But something was different. Alice's face changed, just a bit but enough to make an impression. It was true that her avatar looked like her, but the face of the girl who was standing right before me was the exact copy of Arisu's face, with her brilliant green eyes and her small nose, and her pink cheeks. I stared at her, then at the hand that had held the mirror, and finally I realized.

"This object must let us see the real face of a person!"

"What do you mean real face?

"Well, what did you see in the mirror?"

Alice thought for a moment, trying to remember, and then she said "I saw my reflection for a few seconds before it broke. What is there to see?"

"Was it your avatar's face or your real face?"

She finally understood what I was saying "It was my real face!, but then that means..."

"That even if Minori has a different name, she still has the same face."I smiled. Suddenly finding her seemed quite easy. At least now we had a plan of action.


End file.
